The sport of snowboarding has recently become very popular. Generally, the sport requires a single board that resembles a very wide ski. Like skiis, current models of snowboards utilize a binding for attaching the snowboard to the user during use.
Typical snowboard bindings include two popular models. One model is a base-type binding. The base-type binding has a flat base piece that is designed to reside directly on the snowboard. (See FIG. 1). In use, a user places the base of his or her boot directly onto the flat base piece of the binding. Thus, with a base-type binding, the user's boot does not directly contact the snowboard.
The second type of popular binding model is a baseless model. The baseless model is similar to the base binding, except that the baseless binding does not have a flat bottom piece. (See FIG. 2). Thus, in use, the bottom of a user's boot is placed directly onto the snowboard. The baseless binding is desirable because it is lighter in weight than the base-type binding.
Although the baseless binding is advantageous in that it is lighter in weight, and therefore, the snowboard is lighter in weight, user's have encountered a problem of boot slippage along the smooth snowboard when the boot is in the binding. User's boots tend to slide sideways and front to back within the baseless binding. This slippage problem has also been encountered with the base binding.
During use, the boots and the upper surface of the snowboard tend to collect water and snow. Usually, some of this water and snow collects in the binding area underneath the boot. Thus, as the boot contacts the water and snow it tends to slide within the binding.
Products currently on the market include snow pads that are placed next to the binding. These snow pads allow the user to remove a boot from a binding and rest it on the top of the snowboard without placing the boot in the binding. However, these products do not resolve the problem of boot slippage within the binding.